PERMIT:
THE GOLDEN FLEECE
(A two part series by Mark Bachmann)
Abronze-rimmed, fluffy
cloud hangs low on the horizon.It
masks the face of the late afternoon fire-ball sun.Long, narrow shafts of sterling sunlight slash across the sky.The soft warm air cools slightly.The faintest zephyr turns the surface of the coastal lagoon to
hammered gold.

We are surrounded by huge lush
jade green mangroves.The trim white and aqua skiff glides slowly in the silent
panorama; sliding with its gilded reflection across the shallow water.Only the soft swish of Derrick's push pole breaks the primordial
silence.The scent of
mangrove roots and salt marsh permeates the air with soft, wet musk.All is held in the inverted bowl of a slowly darkening turquoise
sky.Silver, gold, bronze,
turquoise and jade......we are time travelers afloat in a land known
well by

Sunset...Belize

the ancient Maya.Jim,
Patty and I have returned to southern Belize for our second trip.We are searching for Permit.Permit are beautiful, incredibly alert, cautious fish that
inhabit many shallow waters
ringing the Caribbean Sea.They
have long been the "Golden Fleece" for salt water fly anglers
and have a reputation for being one of the most difficult shallow water
fish to take with a fly.We
are half way through our second ten day trip to Belize and although we
have fished with a number of different guides

Beeg Permit Mon...

and cast to dozens, only
Patty has even hooked a Permit, which quickly broke her off.We are becoming intimidated.The pressure is on. We have hired Derrick Muschamp
to guide us.We believe he is our best prospect for catching
permit.I had brought a
sizable fly tying kit with me.The night we arrived in Placencia, I asked Derrick what he
thought the perfect permit fly would look like?His reply was, “It would ook like a crab.

A Permit in the hand...

You need two different ones.One is brownish gray, about the size of a nickel.The other is dark olive green, about the size of a dime.Tie them so that they sink fast.If they are weedless that would be good.” For several
nights I stayed up late and managed to come up with a pattern.First I fashioned several Mustad stainless steel hooks into keel
fly hooks.Then I wrapped the
shanks with heavy lead wire.Next
I cut several rubber bands and dotted them with a felt marker.These were secured to the side of the hook shank, over the lead
wire.They looked like legs
and claws.Alternating bundles of natural and dyed brown deer hair were tied on next and
trimmed to match the shape of a crab carapace.The body fit inside of the bend of the

Crab
in the mouth...

hook so that the hook
would ride with the point on top of the fly. When I showed the flies to
Derrick he said simply, “Mmmm, nice job.I know a place where these will work.I take you there.”

On this day he has brought us to this huge
lagoon by way of hidden channels.We
have traveled several miles from the coast through a maze of mangrove
swamps.It is one of his
secret spots.He assures us
that no one has fished here for months. This and other inter-connecting
salt water lakes cover thousands of acres and are protected from the
prevailing Caribbean wind.Subject
to tidal influence, the currents are very soft as is the bottom, which
is composed of brown silts which have collected here for thousands of
years.Mostly hidden from
the eye, life teems in this warm, shallow, nutrient rich water.Tiny crabs and shrimp burrow into the bottom ooze and hide from
patrolling Permit, Bonefish and Jack Craval.

Hundreds of yards in front of
the boat, a sparsely vegetated peninsula protrudes from the shore,
forming a wind shadow in a tiny bay.In the bay something moves....the apparition of a fish or an
errant wave breaking gently on a shallow bar?Minutes pass.....we silently strain to see in the distant glare.
Derrick speaks softly and
points, "Permit...one hundred yards...eleven o'clock...just beyond
that little mangrove point...he's turning left, coming out of that
bay". Standing high on the bow
platform with rod firmly in hand, something deep inside me says,
"Yes, I know!"The
springs inside my muscles tightened and the pain is gone from my sun
baked eyes.

Derrick poles the boat steadily
closer.We are still fifty
yards away from the peninsula when a long thin black dorsal fin appears
as the fish feeds erratically along the edge of the wind shadow.Suddenly, there is a huge boil and the Permit bolts for deeper
water.Even though we are
still far away, I think he has seen us. Derrick's soft quiet voice
consoles me."Mmm...Somethin'
spooked that Permit, Mon.But
it couldn't have been us.We
are too far away."

Moments later the Permit
reappears twenty yards in front of the boat, his wake turning toward us.He comes at us so fast, I barely have enough time to false cast
enough line to load the ten weight rod.The fly lands four feet directly in front of the fish.Allowing several seconds for the fly to sink to the bottom,
Derrick shouts, "Strip, strip".I move the line with two quick four inch strips.The fish accelerates and inhales the fly.I pull in the slack and the line tightens.I yank, but feel nothing and pull the fly away from the fish as
he charges about looking for it and then cruises past the boat, beyond
our reach.

A new design from
Winston. The
LTX will be the rod of choice for anglers who prefer
faster action rods. You will be surprised with the way these new LTX
rods combine very high line speed with a smooth feel. Using LT
Technology and engineering from the popular BL5 and XTR Series, Winston
has created a fast action rod series with soul. For
more info click here.

The
Deschutes RiverThe Deschutes River water
flow is stable and good temperature. Prolific mid-day may fly
hatches have brought Redsides to the surface in good numbers during
cloud cover days.
Some days we have hit some big Redsides as well as Bull Trout while
fishing leaches for steelhead during the bright light times.
Steelhead are distributed throughout the lower
100 miles. Some are getting dark and assuming trout-like attitudes
taking small nymphs dead-drifted along the bottom. Bright fish are
still entering the river. This time of year is interesting as some
fish have been in the river since June and others came in the river
yesterday. Their color and body confirmation varies widely. Check
out these pictures.

Most
popular Deschutes steelhead flies this year are: Fly de Jour, Buddler,
Joe Girt & Black Stallion. (All in stock).

If you would like to read a detailed Deschutes River Fishing
Report,click
here.To
Top

Crooked
River
Water flows are stable and the water has enough color to give the fish a
sense of security. Most fish are
9" to 13" with a few fish to 19". Most days its
nymphs morning and mid-day and dry flies in the afternoon and
evening.
Flies: Elk Hair Caddis; Blue Winged Olives; Comparaduns, Scuds; Woolly Bugger, B.H.
Pheasant Tail, Serendipities and Soft Hackles.
To
Top

Sandy, Clackamas
Rivers and Eagle CreekPhenomenal
Coho runs are the big deal in both watersheds. There are also Fall
Chinook to be had. Recent heavy rains and resulting fall floods
are bringing new fish every day. The water is dropping fast.
Be on the lookout for very bright early winter steelhead. These fish will
take flies and the rivers are still small enough to be easy to cover with a fly
rod. The big crowds are starting to dissipate. There are many
dark fish in all rivers but there are also bright fish of all species. Be there
early in the morning or late in the evening for the best results. Rabbit strip and marabou
flies in purple, black, orange and chartreuse have been the best producers.
To
Top

Sage has re-designed their line of SPEY RODS for
2001. They have incorporated the newest materials, Graphite IV
and Graphite IIIe. The old Sage 9140-4 had been my favorite spey
rod for the last five years. There was a bit of apprehension when
I heard that Sage had "improved" what I considered the perfect
stick. I got a chance to field test the new Sage
9140-4 spey rod a couple of weeks ago. Took it to the
Deschutes and landed a nine pound wild hen in the first half hour.
Then spent the next morning long casting with a heavy sinking tip line
rather than fishing. These are my conclusions: The new rod
balances as well as the old one. It is very forgiving to
cast. The new rod throws a longer line in all
situations. It has a full length action and is a marvelous tool
for playing a fish. How Sage was able to build in so much casting
power but allow this power to melt away while playing a fish defies
description. I liked the handle and guide configuration on the old
rod better, but found the new rod very enjoyable in every respect.
MB
My customer who bought this rod writes: "I really like the new
9140-4, I will be keeping it. I can cast it further than the old
9140-4.
Not only does it have more power but it just feels
better", Dave.These new rods are just becoming
available and will be on-line in our catalog soon.
If you need one, please call.
We've got the custom lines to make your new rod rock & roll.Next week an assessment of the
new 9150-4 Spey.